Man Sentenced to Prison for String of Brookline Break-Ins

BROOKLINE, MA – A South Boston man was sentenced to state prison Wednesday after admitting to breaking into multiple Brookline apartments during the summer of 2015, the Norfolk District Attorney's office said.

A Norfolk Superior Court judge imposed a sentence of four to five years on 29-year-old Mark Brown for the break-ins on St. Mary, Harvard, Egmont and Winthrop streets last July and August.

According to Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey, the Brookline Police Department traced the use of stolen credit cards to Brown, who was seen on surveillance video using the cards in Boston. Police also obtained surveillance footage from an apartment complex placing Brown at the scene, the DA said.

"The Brookline Police had developed compelling evidence at every stage of the timeline – from the break-ins to the use of and sale of the property," Morrissey said in a statement. "It seems likely that the strength of the case colored Brown’s decision to plead guilty to all of the indictments against him, even in the face of state prison time."

Prosecutors had sought to impose a state prison sentence of five to seven years, citing Brown's record of convictions in Suffolk County for similar crimes in 2009; Brown's attorney asked for a three-year sentence.

"When Brown was taken into custody, he was still in possession of an MBTA Charlie Card that detectives had documented as being purchased with one of the stolen credit cards," Morrissey said in a statement. "This was a very thorough police investigation."

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